Wednesday, February 8, 2017

One
of the salient features that marks the twenty-first century is that we are
living in a post-trust culture. This means that our ability to trust
institutions, governments, politicians, economies, and churches is coming to an
end. Furthermore, the Christian faith in the West seems to be losing its
traction, coherence, and credibility. The principles of marketing and
consumerism in many of our churches are replacing the deep spiritual realities
of truth, unity, and love, which are so essential in a world lost in propaganda
and fraud. It seems to me, therefore, that this is a defining moment, and that churches are at a historic crossroads.
Even prominent leaders of large denominations are aware: church survival is
under serious threat. I believe we can make contributions to reversing this
demise if we seek to exemplify a variety of perspectives including:

1)
Be living testimonies to God’s truth, grace, and love in serving others.

2)
Engage nature and humanity missionally and redemptively.

3)
Practice appropriate levels of confidence and humility in apologetics.

4)
Focus on better ways of interpreting the biblical text.

5)
Support credible scholarship in a multiplicity of disciplines.

6)
Generate creative and interesting music, writing, and art.

7)
Involve ourselves with integrity in politics, culture, and economics.